Acts 17:16-21

New American Standard Bible

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them in ^(A)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was reasoning ^(B)in the synagogue with the Jews and ^(C)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. ¹⁸ And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were ^[a]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could ^(D)this ^[b]scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching ^(E)Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they ^(F)took him and brought him ^[c]to the ^[d](G)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what ^(H)this new teaching is ^[e]which you are proclaiming? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers ^(I)visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)